Dairy Free, Gluten Free Mock Cream
This recipe has been sent in by one of our Internet customers, who prefers to be identified as “Kiwiyumyum”. Her comments are:
“You may be interested in passing along this recipe to those amongst us who have dairy AND gluten intolerances. While looking for a way to clean candle wax off a carpet I came across this mock cream recipe in an old Handy Hints book. I replaced the milk and butter with Goats milk and Olivani [dairy free] margarine. I'm so impressed with the result that I just felt I had to share with others.”
I have tried this recipe with both goat’s milk (the UHT variety available in boxes at the supermarket) and Rice milk (the Vitasoy breed, enriched with chickpea flour, also UHT). I have found that both work well, the rice milk actually producing a rather thicker and creamier result than the goat’s milk, possibly because of the extra chickpea protein. As Kiwiyumyum comments, the mock cream does look slightly curdled (not repulsively so!) but the taste is very pleasant in both cases, and might just add that extra little bit of luxury to the lives of the dairy and gluten intolerant who can use it as a cake filling or to top off other desserts. Just as an aside, Olivani is the only dairy-free margarine I know of which is regularly available. If anyone knows of others, please let me know and I will add the information to this recipe.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
- 1/2 cup Goats milk (or soy or rice milk)
- 2 tablespoons dairy free margarine (Olivani)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Vanilla essence.
Mix cornflour to a smooth paste with milk. Put into a saucepan & boil 3 to 4 minutes. (Stir constantly & turn heat down when it starts to boil).
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Cream margarine and sugar.
Add slowly to cool, cooked cornflour beating well. Add essence.
Will taste just like real cream if beaten well.
Granola' Bars
These are a snack-bar with considerably less sugar and more flavour than the usual commercial variety!
- 1/2 cup each puffed millet, rice and buckwheat (these can usually be got from health-food stores. They are purely puffed grains with no sugar or anything else added)
- 1 cup slightly crushed gluten-free cornflakes (again, from the health-food shop)
- 1 cup chopped almonds (not blanched)
- 1 cup medium desiccated coconut
- 3 – 4 pieces glace ginger, very finely chopped
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 100g butter
Place puffed grains and cornflakes in a large bowl with the finely chopped ginger.
Carefully toast the chopped almonds in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring continuously, until they begin to go lightly brown. Then add the coconut and stir continuously until the coconut is lightly browned.
Transfer the toasted mix into the bowl with the other dry ingredients and mix gently.
Place brown sugar, butter and honey in a saucepan and heat over moderate heat until the temperature reaches 120C on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage when dropped into a glass of cold water).
Transfer the hot sugar mix (carefully!) to the bowl containing all the other ingredients and blend very thoroughly with a large mixing spoon.
Tip the sticky heap into a swiss roll tin and pack VERY firmly down, using the back of a tablespoon. You need to press it down so it is flat and solid-looking.
Leave to cool then slice into bars.
Healthy Ginger and Pear Cranberry Sauce
Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Makes 3 cups
1 bag (12-ounce) cranberries, picked over
2 (1/2 pound each) Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Pear slices for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- In 3-quart saucepan, heat all ingredients except pear garnish to boiling on high, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes or until most cranberries pop and pears are tender, stirring occasionally. (Mixture will thicken as it chills.)
- Spoon sauce into serving bowl; cover and refrigerate 3 hours or up to 4 days. Garnish with pear slices.
Nutritional information is based on a 1/4-cup serving.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving)
Calories | 75 |
Total Fat | -- |
Saturated Fat | -- |
Cholesterol | -- |
Sodium | 10mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 20g |
Dietary Fiber | 2g |
Sugars | -- |
Protein | -- |
Calcium | -- |
Chicken Pot Pie
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion or leek
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 cup peas and carrots, frozen or canned
1 cup potatoes, canned or frozen
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey, canned or cooked (chopped)
1 cup broth, vegetable, chicken or turkey
3 tablespoons GF flour
1/3 cup heavy cream or soy creamer (can use rice milk)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (1 tsp if using dried thyme)
To Taste salt and pepper
2 - 9" GF pie crusts (one for bottom and one for top)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook until softened, but not browned. Add peas, carrots and potatoes and saute` for 5 minutes. Add chicken and stir until warmed throughout.
Sprinkle flour on mixture and stir thoroughly. Add broth and stir until thickened slightly. Add creamer and remaining ingredients and heat and stir until thickened.
Spoon mixture into pie crust. Moisten edge of crust and place second pie crust on top, sealing edges with a fork. Cut slits in top of pie. Bake for 30-40 minutes until pie crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
Quick & Easy Almond Pie Crust
For one 9-inch tart pan:
1 cup Almond Meal (Pecan meal can be substituted.)
1/4 cup powdered sugar (this may contain cornstarch!)
2 tablespoons chilled butter or margarine
1 1/2 tablespoons of cream or non-dairy cream
In a food processor, blend all ingredients until dough clumps together. Chill 15 minutes. Roll out dough on wax paper dusted with either cornstarch or tapioca flour. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan.
Note:: to pre-bake, prick the crust, then bake it at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until firm. Cool before filling.
CLASSIC GF BREAD STUFFING WITH CRISP SAGE LEAVES (shared by Tiffbar on Silly Yak's website)
Serves 10-12
This recipe makes a traditional stuffing. You can give it a twist by adding sautéed wild mushrooms, dried fruits, apples, cranberries, lightly toasted nuts, fresh shucked oysters, or cooked gf sausage!
4 cups of gf bread, crusts removed, lightly toasted and cut into little cubes
6 TBS unsalted butter or margarine, divided
1 cup quarter-inch diced onion
1 cup quarter-inch diced celery
1/3 cup quarter-inch diced carrot
16 large fresh sage leaves
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 pinch dried thyme leaves
1/2-3/4 tsp coarse salt
24 grands fresh black pepper
3/4 - 1 cup broth (vegetable or chicken)
Directions:
• Put the bread cubes into a mixing bowl. Melt 4 TBS of the butter in a small skillet. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot until tender. Then lightly mix the vegetable in with the bread.
• Using the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 TBS of butter. Toss in the sage leaves. Over medium heat, brown the butter. The butter will be ready when it has a nutty smell and the sage leaves begin to crisp and brown. Remove the sage leaves and place them on a paper towel to drain.
• Pour the brown butter over the bread. Chop the sage leaves and lightly mix them in with the bread and vegetables. Season with nutmeg, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Use just enough broth to moisten the stuffing. If you're planning to use this mixture to stuff poultry or vegetables, leave it on the dry side. For a separately baked side dish, make it a bit moister.
• Stuff poultry and bake as you would normally. Or, for a side dish, put mixture in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until browned on top.
Adapted from Jax Peters Lowell's The Gluten-Free Bible
- 4 T. hot turkey drippings
- 4 T. cornstarch
- 2 c. gluten-free turkey or chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Whisk together drippings and cornstarch. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly over medium-high heat until smooth and simmering.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in gravy boat.
Green Bean Casserole
From Good Housekeeping
triple-tested at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute
About 30 million households will serve this dish on November's big day. Too bad it's not as good for us as it tastes. We switched to low-fat milk and reduced-sodium broth, traded canned french-fried onions for oven-fried ones, trimming the total fat by 8 grams and dropping the sodium by 257 milligrams. Seconds, anyone?
Olive oil nonstick cooking spray
1 large (12-ounce) onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and separated into rings
5 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pound(s) green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 container(s) (10-ounce) sliced cremini or white mushrooms
1 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup(s) low-fat (1%) milk
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large cookie sheet with foil; spray with nonstick spray.
- In bowl, toss onion with 2 tablespoons flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Spread onion in single layer on prepared foil; spray onion with nonstick spray. Bake 14 minutes; toss to rearrange, then spray again. Bake 15 minutes or until crisp.
- Meanwhile, in 5-quart saucepot, heat 3 quarts water to boiling on high. Add beans and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain beans in colander; rinse under cold water. Drain.
- In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine on medium. Add shallot; cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add mushrooms; cook 7 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring often. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 3 tablespoons flour; cook 1 minute. Add broth and milk; heat to boiling on high, stirring. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes. Add beans.
- Transfer mixture to 2-quart baking dish; bake 15 minutes. Stir mixture; top with onion. Bake 5 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving)
Calories | 95 |
Total Fat | 2g |
Saturated Fat | -- |
Cholesterol | 1mg |
Sodium | 285mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 16g |
Dietary Fiber | -- |
Sugars | -- |
Protein | 5g |
Calcium | -- |